Obama Admin Distances Itself From Pelosi "Un-American" Health Care Comments
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 11, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The Obama administration is distancing itself from pro-abortion House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wrote in a weekend editorial that people who are protesting the pro-abortion health care bills in Congress are "un-American." An Obama spokesman tried to reassure the public of its rights to protest.
"I think there’s actually a pretty long tradition of people shouting at politicians in America," Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said today.
"The President thinks that if people want to come and have a spirited debate about health care, a real vigorous conversation about it, that’s a part of the American tradition and he encourages that," Burton added.
"Now, if you just want to come to a town hall so that you can disrupt and so that you can scream over another person, he doesn’t think that that’s productive. And as a country, we’ve been able to make progress when people actually talk out what our problems are, not try to shout each other down," Burton added.
According to various press accounts of Burton’s comments, he did not appear to directly comment on Pelosi’s remarks or repudiate them.
An ABC News report indicated President Obama himself "disagrees" with Pelosi’s "un-American" remarks, but Obama has not commented on them and Burton’s comments appear to agree with Pelosi’s point without using the offensive term.
Pelosi authored an editorial in USA Today complaining about the Americans who have voiced their opinions in town halls and forums.
Pelosi, who wrote along with pro-abortion Democratic leader Steny Hoyer, complains about what she calls "an ugly campaign" by people opposed to the bills.
She claimed people opposed to the government plan, which has been criticized for promoting health care rationing and euthanasia, are scheming to "disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue."
"These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American," Pelosi and Hoyer wrote.
Congressman Mike Pence, a leading pro-life advocate in the House, condemned Pelosi’s comments.
He said most Americans "would find that kind of characterization of citizens exercising their First Amendment rights to be offensive. There is nothing more American than letting your elected representatives know how you feel about important issues facing the nation."
"The American people are rejecting a government takeover of health care and I think Democrats from the White House to the Congress are desperate. They are trying to change the subject," Pence continued.
"I do believe that at the end of the day, it is going to become very obvious, even to many Democrats in Congress, that this is not some campaign, it is not some ‘un-American’ effort," he said of those opposing the pro-abortion plans.
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